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Warriors 22 Broncos 24
Second half
Warriors - Montoya, Curran, Aitken Watene-Zeleniak & Hiku tries; Walsh conversion
Broncos - Coates 2, Milford & Kelly tries; Farnworth 4 conversions
40th minute - Walsh sets up on the 40 for a two-point field goal to lock the scores, but he leaves it left of the posts. There's a scuffle as the final siren sounds on the Warriors playoff hopes.
Heartbreak for the Warriors - and Reece Walsh.
39th minute - Warriors have less than two minutes to score again and shift the ball from the kickoff.
38th minute - TRY to Aitken
Warriors move right, but Katoa can't get his pass away. Walsh kicks behind the line, the ball goes loose and Aitken claims a try.
Replays suggest Coates forces the ball first, but the bunker favours Aitken. Walsh must kick this conversion to tie the score, but he hooks it, BRI 24-22
37th minute - Cobbo cuts out a Warriors pass, which will give them a scrum in Broncos territory.
36th minute - Walsh takes Milford kick and Hiku reaches halfway early.
35th minute - Warriors throw the ball around, looking for an opening. Walsh kicks low towards the tryline.
34th minute - Warriors kick off and must score next.
Levi reaches halfway, Milford kicks and DWZ fields.
32nd minute - TRY to Milford
Milford puts up a kick on the last and it's batted back by the Broncos. Farnworth volleyballs it to Milford, who scores in the tackles of Walsh and Curran - that's a heartbreaker.
Curran leaves the field and looks groggy, while Farnworth converts, BRI 24-18
31st minute - Walsh kicks short and the Broncos have good field position.
30th minute - Milford kicks high for Coates again, but Montoya rises to claim it.
29th minute - Milford kicks towards his wing, but Warriors recover the bounce. Townsend kicks long.
28th minute - Townsend kicks early and the Warriors charge onto defence. Haas rumbles over halfway.
27th minute - Walsh trembles under Milford's spiral punt, but manages to catch it.
25th minute - Fonua-Blake brings the ball back from the kickoff. He reaches halfway with his second carry, and Townsend's high kick almost brings a collision between Oates and Niu.
23rd minute - TRY to Watene-Zelezniak
Montoya is dragged down just short of the left corner and when the ball goes right, Hiku draws the last two tacklers, before flicking a pass for DWZ to score. Brilliant pass.
Walsh hooks his conversion, 18-18
22nd minute - Walsh chases a kick and forces Niu into knocking the ball behind the goal-line for a dropout.
21st minute - Warriors trying to et out of their own half. Pompey charges over halfway.
20th minute - Warriors spill the ball in their own half, so Broncos back on attack, but they also spill the ball.
18th minute - Milford has the Warriors stretched again, but Niu's final pass goes behind Oates into touch.
16th minute - TRY to Kelly
Disaster form the Warriors. Milford kicks on the last and Niu chases.
The Warriors knock the ball away from Niu, but Kelly is chasing hard and gathers it to score. Farnworth converts, BRI 18-14
15th minute - Milford kicks long and the ball bounces twice, before Walsh finally decides to gather it.
Fonua-Blake reaches halfway and Townsend's kick is fielder by Oates on the goal-line.
14th minute - Sironen reaches halfway, Harris-Tavita kicks, but the Niu gathers the deflection to defuse another Warriors attack.
13th minute - Milford kicks on the last and regathers, but his kick ahead goes straight into touch.
12th minute - High kick from the Warriors and Montoya is first on the scene, but can't take the clean catch.
11th minute - Katoa reaches halfway for the Warriors, but he can't stand up after the tackle. He's twisted an ankle.
Ninth minute - TRY to Curran
Afoa charges forward from the dropout and is barely stopped before the tryline on his second carry. From dummy half, Egan finds Curran running a hard line and he can't be stopped.
Walsh converts from right of the uprights, WAR 14-12
Seventh minute - Harris-Tavita charges through a gap, Townsend's kick to the corner bounces in goal and Niu is forced out for the dropout.
Sixth minute - Broncos kick from their own half, but DWZ is safe underneath.
Fifth minute - Warriors charge towards halfway from the kickoff, Walsh reaches Broncos territory.
Third minute - TRY to Hiku
Townsend throws a long pass to DWZ, who grubbers the ball towards the line, Hiku toes it on and a couple of Broncos defenders can't kick it dead, before Hiku arrives to score. Walsh hooks his convesion attempt, BRI 12-8
Second minute - Walsh threatens to break the Bronos defence and Warriors go on the attack.
First minute - Broncos kick off and Afoa takes the first hit up. Townsend kicks from inside his 40, but the ball bounces away from the sideline inside the 20 and Oates eventually smothers it.
First half
40th minute - Farnworth is dragged down short by Hiku, as the halftime hooter sounds. Warriors need to score first after the restart or their playoff hopes are shattered.
39th minute - Poor dropout from the Warriors gives Broncos good attacking position. Farnworth almost breaks the defence, but Walsh concedes another set restart. Niu loses the ball, but it's ruled Warriors knock on, so they're not out of the woods yet.
38th minute - Broncos are pressing, they get six again, but Turpin's kick is escorted dead by Walsh. Warriors dropout.
37th minute - Kelly loses the ball in a tackle, but Glenn appeals and Aitken is penalised for an illegal strip.
36th minute - Harris-Tavita kicks high and the ball bounces awkwardly off Hiku's knee. Townsend toes the ball over the goal-line, where it eludes everyone. Hiku arrives on the scene, but can't gather the ball to force it.
Another chance goes begging.
34th minute - On the last tackle, Milford runs the ball, finding Bullamor on the burst and then looming for the inside pass, but Hiku somehow wraps up the ball before he can force for the try.
33rd minute - Warriors snuff out the Broncos attack and try to bust out of their own half.
32nd minute - Great heads up play by DWZ, who has a foot in touch when he catches the kickoff, but Walsh's kick for touch doesn't find its mark. Terrible play from both teams.
29th minute - TRY to Montoya
Broncos back in Warriors half, Milford's high, swirling kick is barely caught by DWZ.
Walsh bursts upfield and has the Broncos on the backfoot. When the ball moves left, Pompey gives his wing an open run to the corner.
Walsh swings his conversion across the posts, BRI 12-4
26th minute - TRY to Coates
Broncos hot on attack, Kelly to Milford, who sidesteps a tackler, before lobbing a long pass to Coates on the right wing. He scores with a dive into the corner flag.
Farnworth converts from the sideline, BRI 12-0
25th minute - Warriors are guilty of a bad play-the-ball - it's DWZ - in their own territory, so another Broncos opportunity.
24th minute - Well, that was disaster for the Warriors, who must now regroup. Turpin finds touch inside the 20 again.
22nd minute - TRY to Coates
Milford puts a high kick towards Walsh, who misjudges the flight and and Coates pressures him off the ball, which bounces over the tryline, where Coates continues his run to score. Farnworth converts, BRI 6-0
20th minute - Warriors force a mistake out of Kelly in Broncos territory. Harris-Tavita kicks towards the posts and Curran tips it back, but Sironen can't quite gather in the goal area. Close call for the Warriors.
19th minute - Townsend runs left and looks for Montoya, but Cobbo wraps his arms as he passes and the ball goes forward.
17th minute - Niu finds Cobbo with a short pass that puts him through a gap, but he's called back for a forward pass.
16th minute - Warriors reach halfway through Taunoa-Brown. Townsend chips to the corner, but Broncos are safe underneath.
15th minute - Hiku tests the Broncos defence with a ground kick, but Niu does well again.
13th minute - Broncos back in Warriors half, but Milford kicks touch in goal.
12th minute - Kelly puts a huge kick crossfield to Coates, but Montoya outjumps him.
11th minute - Harris-Tavita kicks high, but Niu is equal to the task again.
Ninth minute - Warriors move left and Townsend finds Aitken running a nice angle towards the line. He's brought down short and replays show he's guilty of a second movement - penalty Broncos.
Eighth minute - Broncos try to run back the dropout, but Kelly drops the ball in a tackle.
Seventh minute - DWZ gathers a kick behind the goal-line, but passes to Harris-Tavita, who tries to make the field of play, but he loses the ball in the tackle. Replays try to establish who forces the ball - eventually Oates forces the ball, but by that stage, ref Cecchin has blown the play dead.
Warriors knock on.
Sixth minute - Warriors turn the ball over in their own territory and Broncos get a set restart as well.
Fifth minute - Haas rumbles several metres up centrefield and Walsh has to take him around the ankles. On the last tackle, Coates is bustled out before he can reach the corner.
Fourth minute - Warriors threatening in Broncos territory, but Niu is again safe under the kick.
Second minute - Warriors deep in Broncos territory, but Niu is safe under Harris-Tavita's high kick.
First minute - Warriors kick off and Flegler gets the first hit-up. Turpin kicks on the last and finds touch inside the Warriors 20.
6:02pm - Warriors' playoff hopes done a big favour, with Sydney Roosters beating St George Dragons 40-22, which will keep the Red V's on 18 competition points - still level with the Warriors right now.
5:56pm - Warriors have sprung some late changes from their original line-up, with Chad Townsend replacing Sean O'Sullivan in the halves, while Jazz Tevaga will start at hooker, instead of Wayde Egan.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newhub's live coverage of the NRL clash between NZ Warriors and Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
Unbelievably, the Auckland club is chasing its fourth straight victory for the first time since 2018 - which was also the last time the Warriors reached the NRL playoffs.
Victory today would see them on the same competition points as eighth-placed Cronulla Sharks, with two rounds left in the regular season, during which they face fellow playoff contenders Canberra Raiders and Gold Coast Titans.
Sitting one spot off the bottom of the table, the Broncos seem ripe for the taking, but have improved over the course of the season, with a win over North Queensland Cowboys, and close losses to Newcastle Knights and Sydney Roosters over the past three weeks.
Captained by former Kiwis international Alex Glenn, the Brisbane line-up also features young Kiwis Danny Levi, Jordan Riki and TC Robati.
A mid-season transfer from Canterbury Bulldogs, Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak will celebrate his 150th NRL appearance, returning from a one-week suspension against his old outfit last week. The former Kiwis captain logged 107 games for Penrith Panthers and 36 for the Bulldogs, before joining the Warriors.
Warriors: 1- Reece Walsh, 2-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3-Peta Hiku, 4-Adam Pompey, 5-Marcelo Montoya, 6-Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7-Sean O'Sullivan, 8-Addin Fonau-Blake, 9-Wayde Egan, 10-Jamayne Tounua-Brown, 11-Euan Aitken, 12-Josh Curran, 13-Bayley Sironen
Interchange: 15-Bunty Afora, 16-Eliesa Katoa, 17-Jazz Tevaga, 21-Jack Murchie
Broncos: 1-Tesi Niu, 2-Corey Oates, 3-Selwyn Cobbo, 4-Herbie Farnworth, 5-Xavier Coates, 6-Anthony Milford, 7-Albert Kelly, 8-Thomas Flegler, 21-Jake Turpin, 10-Payne Haas, 11-Alex Glenn, 12-Jordan Riki, 13-Kobe Hetherington
Interchange: 9-Danny Levi, 15-Rhys Kennedy, 16-Ethan Bullemor, 17-TC Robati
Adversity fuelling Warriors' NRL finals tilt, says former Kiwis captain
On Sunday, NZ Warriors will chase their fourth straight win to keep their NRL top-eight chances alive.
After losing three senior players for the season and seven straight defeats, even coach Nathan Brown said their season was all but over - but a former Warriors star believes that's just what they needed to turn things around.
The Auckland side face Brisbane Broncos on Sunday evening, with a win to solidify their hopes of reaching the NRL playoffs.
"I think it's something you've got to tap into," says winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak. "Me, for example, it gives me something a bit extra, knowing we're a chance of making the finals."
But after another rocky year and their season all but done after seven straight defeats, where did it all go right?
Former star Adam Blair believes it's a change in mentality.
"It's a mindset," Blair says. "It's once all the distractions are gone, that all they can do is focus on playing footy for each other."
Those distractions include losing captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and having their first home game in two years cancelled.
Even the most diehard fans were left dejected, but Blair believes it may have been just what they needed.
"It's been a blessing in disguise," he adds. "I feel it's an opportunity now those guys are there, they can't expect someone like Roger to be there to do the work that he does."
Gritty, if unflattering wins over teams in a similar position on the ladder, give them a mathematical chance, but what's more important, is the way they're playing.
"The games that they're playing haven't been the best games or flashest style of football, but they've managed to come over the top and win games," adds Blair.
"We did have a few bad games on the trot," says prop Addin Fonua-Blake. "But now we're coming good and if we can push [into] the top eight, we can definitely give teams a run for their money."
Hardly anyone would have bet that money the Warriors would still be in the mix at all.
